Radial artery accessed catheterizations are being performed with increasing frequency. It is important during these procedures that the patient's arm be maintained in stable, accessible position. This can be difficult to achieve where the arm is merely supported on a cath arm board. With the operator on the right side of the patient, for a left radial artery accessed cardiac catheterization the problem is compounded in that the operator may have to lean over the patient for accessing the radial artery. There is a need for a forearm and hand positioning device for maintaining a radial artery of a patient in the correct accessible position while the patient undergoes a radial artery accessed cardiac catheterization. The present invention addresses this need.
A forearm and hand positioning device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a first inflatable air bladder longitudinally extending with an upper surface that, when the first air bladder is inflated, supports the forearm and hand of a patient with a radial artery of the patient remaining accessible to an operator. A second air bladder of the device longitudinally extends beneath and is connected to the first air bladder and is configured when the second air bladder is inflated, to elevate the first air bladder and a forearm and hand supported on the first air bladder to a comfortable working height for an operator above a support for the patient's arm.
The first air bladder is preferably configured to surround most of a patient's forearm when the first air bladder is inflated for securing the patient's arm on the device. In the example embodiment the first air bladder surrounds at least approximately 75% of the forearm in an area above the proximal forearm/wrist of the patient. The air bladders in a disclosed embodiment have a necked configuration in an intermediate portion along the longitudinal extent of the device between forearm and hand supporting portions for exposing the wrist and radial artery of a patient for access by an operator. A plurality of releasable, adjustable straps are provided on the disclosed embodiment of the device for securing a hand, forearm and upper arm of a patient to the device.
The first air bladder in the example embodiment has a length and a configuration for tightening around a portion of both the upper arm and forearm of a patient when the bladder is inflated. The second air bladder has a length coextensive with the first air bladder and extends beneath a portion of the upper arm, forearm and hand of a patient secured on the first air bladder. The second air bladder, when inflated, is wedge shaped in the longitudinal direction of the device with increasing thickness in a direction from the arm toward the forearm and hand supporting portions.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of an example embodiment of the invention taken with the accompanying drawings.